September 23rd, 2009

The Cup and Saucer cafe is actually a chain of three Portland restaurants, and more of a breakfast spot than lunch. That said, we’ve visited it on several occasions, usually for weekend brunch. But since we’ve got a whole lot of new restaurants to try, and I’d already taken pictures of this one, I figured it counts!

If there’s one thing you can expect from a breakfast spot on Hawthorne (or anywhere in Portland for that matter) it’s that you’re going to wait for a solid 30 minutes for a seat during the weekends. For that reason, on my first visit to Cup and Saucer, on a Sunday, I was pleasantly surprised to not wait at all. Of course, on subsequent weekend visits I have had to wait, but never more than 10 minutes.

The menu includes both lunch and breakfast choices and is pretty standard American cafe fare. The first time I went I got a scramble with cream cheese and chives, potatoes and toast that was deliciously simple and one of the only breakfasts I’ve actually been able to finish in recent history. I tried the Florentine Benedict on another trip, which was definitely not the best Benedict I’ve had. There was too much spinach (I know that’s what florentine is, thanks) and the hollandaise was a bit bland. I also have sampled the lunch menu with a tuna melt and tortilla soup. It was decent, but I’d really have to say the simple scramble was the best of all.

Veggie Options: Yup

Speed: Never been for weekday lunch, but if breakfast is an indication, pretty quick. Also, you just bring up your check to pay at the end, which cuts down on the wait time for the server.